Failures of the SNP!

[Gronnuck]

Okneycadian, I empathise with your issue with RET for the northern isles. I campaigned with many on the issue of the Skye Bridge tolls, it was a long hard fight but it uncovered some unsavoury behaviour by corporate bodies, individuals and politicians hidden under the guise of ‘commercial confidentiality’. I wonder if something similar is applicable to RET.
IMO you quote the, "once in a generation / lifetime" claim” erroneously. It was a rhetorical flourish to encourage people to get out and vote, which they did. Politicians use this type of rhetoric all the time; remember Boris Johnson’s statement that he would, "rather be dead in a ditch" than ask Brussels for a delay to Brexit?
I appreciate people living on the northern isles will have a different perspective regarding politics in the UK, but surely you see what is happening in England. The growth of xenophobia, isolationism and ethnic nationalism. The right-wing have turned quite nasty! IMO Scotland deserves better, we are outward looking, internationalist and take pride in our very diverse civil patriotism.
I see the SNP as a means to an end – independence – then I will probably vote Liberal and/or Green.
You propose that, “Here, we see Westminster more attuned to the islands than we see Holyrood is,” I’m interested to know more.

[mi16]

Okneycadian, I empathise with your issue with RET for the northern isles. I campaigned with many on the issue of the Skye Bridge tolls, it was a long hard fight but it uncovered some unsavoury behaviour by corporate bodies, individuals and politicians hidden under the guise of ‘commercial confidentiality’. I wonder if something similar is applicable to RET.
IMO you quote the, "once in a generation / lifetime" claim” erroneously. It was a rhetorical flourish to encourage people to get out and vote, which they did. Politicians use this type of rhetoric all the time; remember Boris Johnson’s statement that he would, "rather be dead in a ditch" than ask Brussels for a delay to Brexit?
I appreciate people living on the northern isles will have a different perspective regarding politics in the UK, but surely you see what is happening in England. The growth of xenophobia, isolationism and ethnic nationalism. The right-wing have turned quite nasty! IMO Scotland deserves better, we are outward looking, internationalist and take pride in our very diverse civil patriotism.
I see the SNP as a means to an end – independence – then I will probably vote Liberal and/or Green.
You propose that, “Here, we see Westminster more attuned to the islands than we see Holyrood is,” I’m interested to know more.

As you stated he said he would rather be dead in a ditch.
He didnt say he would be dead in a ditch.

[orkneycadian]

You propose that, “Here, we see Westminster more attuned to the islands than we see Holyrood is,” I’m interested to know more.

Orkney doesn't want Scotland to leave the UK. Westminster doesn't want Scotland to leave the UK. It's quite simple really.

[Gronnuck]

Orkney doesn't want Scotland to leave the UK. Westminster doesn't want Scotland to leave the UK. It's quite simple really.

Good morning Orkneycadian, Politics is never simple.
It’s unfortunate you were unable to answer my question more fully. I was hoping you would be able to tell me what positive benefits the Westminster government has bestowed upon the northern isles.
In the majority of your posts you appear to take great delight in belittling Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP despite their continued success at the polls. Yet you appear silent, neither positive nor negative, on the behaviour of the Tory government in Westminster, which you appear to support. Is that because you can see Boris Johnston do no wrong?

[orkneycadian]

Good morning Gronnuck.

The thread is titled "Failures of the SNP" so the discussion topic is more about where the SNP have cocked up, rather than where Westminster has done well. But since you ask, you will be aware of Boris' recent visit to Orkney where many millions of growth funding was announced. Meanwhile, at the same time, the SNP's mouthpiece rag, The National, took a picture of 3 seperatists outside Kinloss barracks, badged it as "Crowds in Orkney" and published it on their site. They also derided the local shelfish industry by calling partans "silly props". So whilst BJ takes the trouble to come here to announce all the good the UK government are doing, the best the SNP and thir journalists can muster up is a few badly captioned pictures.

Success in the polls does not translate into success on the ground, necessarily. And in fact, the SNP have had nothing but failure in the polls (if we are talking elections) in Orkney and Shetland. They have never once come in first place, let alone gained a majority of votes.

And yes, Boris can do wrong - He has failed us quite badly since the start of the year on the Conoravirus con. The only saving grace, if you can call it that, is that he has not done as badly as Nicola Sturgeon has, and at least has made a better job of trying to minimise the impact on the rUK economy.

[Gronnuck]

orkneycadian Yes I was aware of Boris’s visit to Orkney and the fact that he announced £50 million investment to match the £50 million over ten years that Michael Matheson the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity had announced for the Islands Growth Fund. You can’t deny the Scottish government’s interest in supporting a wide range of matters like infrastructure, but including tourism, energy transition, innovation, and skills in the northern isles.
I won’t comment on what the ‘National’ printed; I’m aware of their bias just as I’m aware of the bias across the whole of the MSM.
As regards the First Minister's handling of the Covid issue, I see you already have threads on that issue.

[orkneycadian]

Yes, the First Minister's handling of the Conoravirus issue is unravelling by the day. So much for her "flagship leadership policies" being the envy of the UK. The New York Times has an interesting interactive graphic on their site this morning (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...rus-cases.html) - Click on images to enlarge.



Showing that Scotland is second from the top of the "new cases per 100,000 league", second only to Northern Ireland. England are doing a marginally better job than Scotland and Wales are well ahead of the pack.

Drilling down into the Scotland data;



We can see just how bad the SNP are handling this in their "home territory" of the Southern Belt. Now, remember, Aberdeen got a full hospitality lockdown when their new cases reached 14 per 100,000. Scotland as a whole has 17 per 100,000 according to the above, and the western end of the southern belt are more than 2 and a half times that. But yet, the SNP will not deny their main support base the right to go to the pub for a swally, as they did Aberdeen. Instead the message from the SNP for Glasgow is "Dinnae gan and meet yer pals at their hoose, gonnae go and meet them at the boozer instead?"

Meanwhile, poor old Aberdeen who bore the brunt of the SNP's political point scoring the other week, and Grampian being the area in which Aberdeen is counted, records just 6 new cases per 100,000.

This is supposed to be "world class leadership" in handling this shamdemic, but yet, the published figures show the complete opposite. Scotland is making a complete pigs ear of it within the UK, and another pigs ear of it within Scotland. Only Northern Ireland is doing worse. We should be learning from those that are making a better job it than Scotland, viz, England and Wales.

[The Horseman]

Pls note,
I am not trying to ‘belittle’ Scotland, but after Cork/OQ’s etal, views of life (Indyref), I fail to see how there is any advantage in ‘going solo!
And for a sma’ Country of ‘honest people’, the Optics of the Top Dowgies and their Antics, it would/should certainly cause concern.....
And it is still going on......